Footwear or clothing article with integral thermal regulation element

ABSTRACT

Footwear or clothing article with integral thermal regulation element, includes a heat pipe (3) with a first portion, or source area (3a) in heat exchange contact with a relatively warm region (2) of the wearer&#39;s body, and another portion, or sink area (3b) in heat exchange contact with another region of the wearer&#39;s body or with the atmosphere, so as to transfer the heat (Q1) produced by the warm body region from the source area (3a) to the sink area (3b) of the heat pipe.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is the 35 USC §371 national stage of internationalapplication PCT/FR96/01270 filed on Aug. 9, 1996, which designated theUnited States of America.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an article of clothing or footwearhaving a heat-conditioning element incorporated therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been known for a long time to equip footwear or articles ofclothing with heating means of different types, namely electrical, withliquid or gaseous fuel, etc. The heating systems incorporated in sucharticles obviously present several drawbacks, such as the substantialincrease in the cost price of the article, its weight and bulk.

Furthermore, articles of footwear and clothing are also known which areprovided with ventilation means to evacuate the heat emitted by thehuman body. However, the transfer of heat towards the outside cannotalways be effected under satisfactory conditions due to the presence ofthermally insulating layers of the article and this results in asensation of discomfort for the wearer of these articles.

The document EP-A-0 059 581 discloses a clothing article of the vesttype containing heat paths, which is connected by an independentexternal heat path and a connector with a heat sink.

The document WO-A-9 213 600 also discloses a vest containing aninflatable heat path, the internal wall of the vest being in contactwith the body of the wearer and forming a source region whilst itsexternal wall forms a sink region to discharge heat from the body to theatmosphere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at overcoming these drawbacks, allowing asensitive part of the body to be heated or cooled without employing anoutside source of energy, by very simple means which may be incorporatedvery easily in the articles.

To that end, this article of clothing or footwear having aheat-conditioning element incorporated therein, is characterized in thatit comprises a heat pipe of which at least a first part or source zoneis in heat exchange contact with a relatively hot zone of the body ofthe wearer of the article and at least another part or well zone is inheat exchange contact with another zone of the wearer's body or with theoutside, so as to transmit the heat produced by the hot zone of thebody, from the source zone towards the well zone of the heat pipe, witha view to evacuating the heat towards the outside of the article, or towarming, by this heat, that part of the body located in the immediateproximity of the well zone of the heat pipe.

As is well known, the heat pipe is a heat transfer element comprising,in a thin volume defined by a tight enclosure, a fluid with change ofliquid/vapour phase, such as water under its vapour tension. The heatpipe which constitutes an element for heat conditioning the article ofclothing or footwear may be integrated in this article or added thereon.The invention may be applied to various types of articles such as shoes,gloves, headbands or bonnets covering the ears, overalls, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various forms of embodiment of the present invention will be describedhereinafter by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in section illustrating the effect of heatconditioning of a heat pipe incorporated in an article of clothing orfootwear.

FIG. 2 is a view in section of a variant embodiment of the heatconditioning element.

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical and partial longitudinal section of asafety shoe comprising, in its sole, a heat pipe for evacuating the heatfrom the foot towards the outside.

FIG. 4 is a view in vertical and longitudinal section of a variantembodiment of the shoe shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view in vertical and longitudinal section of avariant embodiment of the shoe adapted to warm the wearer's toes.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view, with parts torn away, of a gloveequipped with a heat pipe for warming the wearer's fingers.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view in vertical section of a bonnet covering thewearer's ears and provided with a heat pipe for warming his/her ears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, the principle of the heat transfer employedaccording to the present invention in an article of clothing or footwearwill firstly be described. In the following specification, the termarticle of clothing will be understood to mean both a garment proper andany other article which may be placed in contact with a part of thebody, such as a blanket for example. This Figure schematically shows aface 1 of the article, this face being able to be a thickness of fabric,a wall or sole of a shoe, a thickness of a blanket, etc. This face 1 isin contact with a part 2 of the body of the wearer of the article, whichpart is at a relatively high temperature. The article according to theinvention has been designed to capture the major part of the heat Q1produced by the part 2 of the body and to transfer this heat eitheroutside the face 1 of the article, or towards the interior, in thedirection of another part of the body having to be warmed. According tothe present invention, the heat conditioning element which is used toensure this transfer of heat is constituted by a heat pipe 3 whichextends between a source zone 3a, located opposite the hot part 2 of thebody, and a well zone 3b remote from the source zone 3a and from whichthe heat Q2 is released to the outside. This heat pipe 3 is constitutedby a tight enclosure, closed on itself, containing a fluid with changeof liquid/vapour phase, such as for example water under its vapourtension. The heat pipe 3 is relatively thin and its dimensions are muchexaggerated in FIG. 1 in order to facilitate understanding of theinvention. The wall 4 of the heat pipe is composed of two thin sheetswelded to each other along their edges, made of a good heat-conductingmaterial such as a metal or a metal-containing plastics material. Thethin inner volume of the heat pipe 3 may be free, as shown in FIG. 1, orit may contain an inner gauze 6, such as a metal cloth, which performssimultaneously a role of spacer and of capillary drainage of the liquidphase.

The working principle of the heat pipe 3 is well known. The heat,represented by arrows Q1, produced by part 2 of the body, causes boilingof the fluid in the source zone 3a of the heat pipe 3, and the steamthus produced moves towards the colder zone or well zone 3b of the heatpipe 3, where this heat is rendered to the outside as indicated byarrows Q2. In the well zone 3b, the steam condenses and the fluid havingreturned to the liquid state returns to the source zone 3a. The path ofthe fluid within the heat pipe 3 is indicated by arrows in FIG. 1.

The liquid phase may be transferred from the well zone 3b towards thesource zone 3a, for re-supply, under the sole effect of gravity and inthat case the heat Q1 must imperatively be supplied at the low point ofthe heat pipe 3 and evacuated (heat Q2) at the high point of the heatpipe. No inner gauze 6 is in that case required. The liquid phase mayalso be transferred for re-supply solely by the capillary route and theliquid of the condensed phase may be resupplied, from the well zone 3bto the source zone 3a, at the same altitude and even from a lower levelthan the evaporation level, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In that case, thepresence of an inner gauze 6 in the heat pipe 3 is indispensable.Finally, the transfer may also be effected jointly under the effect ofgravity and capillarity and, in that case, the gauze 6 is obviouslynecessary.

An application of the invention to a safety shoe will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 3. The safety shoe shown in FIG. 3, generallydesignated by reference 7, comprises a body 8, an outer sole 9, an inneranti-intrusion or anti-penetration sole 11 and, at the rear of the legpart, a rear stiffener 12 for protecting the heel. According to theinvention, the inner anti-intrusion sole 11 contains, in its thickness,a thin heat pipe 13 which extends over the whole length of the sole andis extended by end parts 13a, 13b extending upwardly and constitutingwell zones. The front end part 13a is curved rearwardly so as to takethe shape of a front shell 14 for protecting the shoe. The rear end part13b extends substantially vertically in the rear stiffener 12 forprotecting the heel.

The heat of the foot of the wearer of the safety shoe 7 is supplied bythe zones of abutment of the foot, namely the sole and the heel, on theanti-intrusion sole 11 and it is transferred by conduction in the sourcezone of the heat pipe 13 housed in the sole 11. In fact, in thisparticular application, the heat pipe 13 comprises two source zoneslocated respectively below the zones of abutment of the sole and theheel. The heat introduced in the source zones of the heat pipe 13 causesthe fluid with change of phase to boil and this heat is transmitted tothe front (13a) and rear (13b) end parts of the heat pipe whichconstitute its well zones. The heat released to the outside in the wellzones 13a, 13b is evacuated via air circulation conduits provided in thewalls of the shoe. At the front, a first air circulation conduit 15leaves from a lower air admission orifice 16, provided in the front ofthe shell of the shoe, and it arrives at an air outlet orifice 17provided on the top of the shoe. At the rear, a rear circulation conduit18 leaves from a lower air admission orifice 19, located at the base ofthe rear stiffener, and arrives at an air outlet orifice 20 locatedhigher up in the stiffener. Consequently, the air circulates, by naturalconvection, in the front (15) and rear (18) conduits, as indicated bythe arrows, and it sweeps the front (13a) and rear (13b) well zones ofthe heat pipe 13 to evacuate the heat towards the outside.

In the embodiment of the shoe shown in FIG. 3, the anti-intrusion sole11 is also equipped with a forced ventilation device and to that end, itpresents a lower air circulation conduit 21 extending over the wholelength of the sole, below the heat pipe 13 and communicating, at itsends, with the front (15) and rear (18) air circulation conduits. Apassage 22 is provided in the anti-intrusion sole 11, in the zone ofabutment of the wearer's heel, to communicate the inside of the shoewith the lower circulation conduit 21. This makes it possible to use theperiodical pressure of the wearer's heel on the rear part of theanti-intrusion sole 11 to produce a pump effect promoting circulation ofthe air below the heat pipe 13 and in the front (15) and rear (18)circulation conduits. The front (16) and rear (19) air admissionorifices may be provided with adjustable flaps (28, 29) which allowevacuation of the pumped air towards the outside when they are open orthe channeling of the air towards the well zones 13a, 13b of the heatpipe 13 when they are closed.

Although the shoe 7 illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises a heat pipe 13 withtwo front (13a) and rear (13b) well zones, it goes without saying thatit might comprise only one of these well zones.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that it is possible to coolthe foot as long as the temperature of the air is less than the maximumtemperature of the skin of the foot which is of the order of 33° C. fornormal physical exercise and which may attain 40° C. in the case ofprolonged physical exercises (running). In the thermal zone defined,with an air temperature less than 30° C. or possibly 40° C., thetransfer of heat to the outside is adjustable. It may therefore beincreased, stabilized or even cancelled depending on the user's comfortrequirements.

FIG. 4 shows a variant embodiment of the safety shoe of FIG. 3, notprovided with the air circulation pump. In that case, the lower conduit21 is not provided in the anti-intrusion sole 11. There again, theadjustable flaps (28, 29) which are provided in the lower air admissionorifices 16 and 19 allow circulation of the air, by the chimney effect,in the front (15) and rear (18) conduits and they cancel thiscirculation when they are closed.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a variant embodiment of a shoe according to theinvention will be described. In this case, the heat produced by thehottest parts of the underneath of the foot, namely the heel and thesole, is not evacuated to the outside, but is recovered at the front ofthe shoe to warm the wearer's toes. Consequently, the heat pipe 13comprises just one front well zone 13a which is located in the immediateproximity of the toes. This well zone 13a is isolated at maximum fromthe outside by the front wall of the shoe. In FIG. 5, the heat Q2emitted by the well zone 13a is represented by arrows directed towardthe wearer's toes and it is transferred by hot wall, convection andradiation effect.

According to a variant, instead of being integrated in the wall of theshoe, the front well zone 13a may be added by a securing of the wearer'ssock by means of a device of the self-gripping type and, in that case,the transfer of heat is in addition conductive through the fabric.

In the case of the shoe ensuring cooling of the toes, as is illustratedin FIG. 5, the sole containing the heat pipe 13 may no longer beintegrated in the shoe itself but it may on the contrary be added insideit. According to a first variant, the added sole, containing the heatpipe 13, may be placed in the shoe outside the wearer's sock so as toimprison the foot like a slipper. According to another variant, the solecontaining the heat pipe 13 may be included inside the sock and, in thatcase, the material of the heat pipe 13 is a supple material.

FIG. 6 represents the application of the invention to a glove 24 whoseface contains a heat pipe 25. This heat pipe comprises a source zone25a, of relatively large surface, in heat exchange contact with the palmof the wearer's hand, and well zones 25b located in the respectivefingers of the glove, to warm the wearer's fingers which areparticularly sensitive to the cold. The heat pipe 25 thus comprises fiverelatively narrow channels, constituting the well zones 25b, whichcommunicate with the source zone 25a. The heat produced by the wearer'spalm is consequently transmitted to the source zone 25a and from thereit is distributed towards the well zones 25b located in heat exchangecontact with the wearer's fingers.

FIG. 7 illustrates the application of the invention to a bonnet or anear muff 26 containing a heat pipe 27, extending over the head andcovering the wearer's two ears which are sensitive to the cold. Thesource zone 27a of the heat pipe 27 receives the heat Q1 emitted by thewearer's head and the well zones 27b restore the heat Q2 at the level ofthe ears to warm them up.

According to a variant, the heat pipe 27 might also be incorporated in abalaclava covering the head, its source zone 27a being in contact withthe rear of the head and its two well zones 27b in contact with thewearer's two ears.

The invention might also be incorporated in overalls, source zones ofthe heat pipe in that case being in contact with the hot zones of thebody, constituted by the chest and abdomen, while the well zones wouldbe in contact with extremities of the body which are particularlysensitive to the cold.

Although the foregoing description is directed to applications of theinvention to articles that may be used by human beings, it goes withoutsaying that the invention may also be applied to articles intended to beborne by animals, such as blankets, etc.

I claim:
 1. A shoe comprising a shell having a front part, a rearstiffener, and an inner sole; said inner sole containing a heat pipeincluding a source zone in heat exchange contact with a part of awearer's foot so as to receive heat therefrom, and at least one sinkzone in heat exchange contact with another part of the wearer's foot soas to transmit heat thereto, said heat pipe extending over the wholelength of the sole, and containing a fluid with change of liquid/vaporphase; said at least one sink zone being constituted by an end part ofthe heat pipe extending upwardly.
 2. The shoe according to claim 1,wherein the heat pipe comprises a front end part extending upwardly inthe front part of the shell and constituting a sink zone.
 3. The shoeaccording to claim 2, wherein the heat pipe further comprises a rear endpart extending upwardly in the rear stiffener of the shell andconstituting a sink zone.
 4. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein theheat pipe includes two sink zones, and along each sink zone of the heatpipe, there extends a respective air circulation conduit, each aircirculation conduit extending between a lower air admission orifice andan upper air outlet orifice.
 5. The shoe according to claim 4, whereineach lower air admission orifice is provided with a flap.
 6. The shoeaccording to claim 4, further comprising a lower air circulationpassageway having two ends, and extending over the whole length of thesole, below the heat pipe, said passageway communicating at its endswith each air circulation conduits; and a passage provided in the solein a zone of abutment of the wearer's heel, in order to cause theinterior of the shoe to communicate with the lower circulationpassageway.
 7. The shoe according to claim 1, wherein the heat pipecomprises only one front sink zone located in the immediate proximity ofthe wearer's toes, said front sink zone being isolated from the outsideby a front wall of the shoe so that heat emitted by said front sink zoneis directed towards the wearer's toes, and the sole containing the heatpipe is integrated in the shoe.
 8. The shoe according to claim 1,wherein the heat pipe comprises only one front sink zone located in theimmediate proximity of the wearer's toes, said front sink zone beingisolated from the outside by a front wall of the shoe so that heatemitted by said front sink zone is directed towards the wearer's toes,and the sole containing the heat pipe is added in the interior of theshoe.
 9. The shoe according to claim 8, wherein the added sole,containing the heat pipe is placed in the shoe outside the wearer'ssock.
 10. The shoe according to claim 8, wherein the added sole,containing the heat pipe is included inside the wearer's sock, and thematerial of the heat pipe is made of a supple material.
 11. The shoeaccording to claim 5, further comprising a lower air circulationpassageway having two ends, and extending over the whole length of thesole, below the heat pipe, said passageway communicating at its endswith each air circulation conduits; and a passage provided in the solein a zone of abutment of the wearer's heel, in order to cause theinterior of the shoe to communicate with the lower circulationpassageway.